Scottish international striker Stevie May is set for a deadline day switch from Sheffield Wednesday to Preston North End, for a fee reported to be in the region of £800,000 according to the Dundee Evening Telegraph.

The 22-year-old May was born in Perth, Scotland and had a spell of five seasons at McDiamond Park with his hometown club St Johnstone, signing his first professional contract in 2009. May made 62 appearances for the Saints, scoring 23 goals.

His time at McDiamond Park also included loan spells with Alloa Athletic and Hamilton Academical. Both of these loan spells were particularly fruitful for May, yielding a total of 44 goals from just 55 appearances.

May joins Wednesday

These performances helped to capture the attention of then Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray, and May's move south of the border was completed on 9th August 2014, with May signing a four-year deal with the Owls.

During his only season with Sheffield Wednesday, May struggled to find consistency in front of goal, notching nine goals in 39 appearances; a significantly reduced strike rate from his time in Scotland.

Once Stuart Gray was replaced as Wednesday boss with Carlos Carvahal in the summer of 2015, it started to become clear that May would not be a large figure in the plans of the Portuguese head coach with several Scottish clubs and Championship rivals Nottingham Forest all understood to be interested in making a move for May.

Wednesday lower asking price

Originally, the Owls were rumoured to be demanding a £2million fee for May, however as the the transfer window has progressed and the deadline looms closer, Wednesday looked to have dropped their asking price in order to secure an exit, sparking the interest of Simon Grayson and Preston.

A fee of £800,000 was reported to be negotiated and agreed on Sunday evening between representatives of the two clubs on Monday evening, with the switch likely to be confirmed on Tuesday afternoon before the 6pm deadline following the agreement of personal terms and the completion of a medical.

Preston look to fix goal scoring problems

Since their promotion to the Championship, the Lilywhites have struggled to make an impact in front of goal, with just two team goals in the opening five matches.

The Deepdale faithful have been vocal in their desires to bring in a striker during the window and both Grayson and the supporters alike will be hoping that the capture of May will bolster Preston's attacking ranks and kickstart a rise in the Championship table.

VAVEL Logo
About the author